"What, weren't you going to keep me company and have a proper chat? Why so quiet now?"
In a private café with an elegant style in town, the rich aroma of coffee beans mingled with the melodious music of a gramophone, flowing slowly through the air.
Sunlight passed through the stained-glass windows and fell in mottled patches across the soft velvet sofa.
Ross sat side by side with Olvia, whose gentle grace and bewitching charm coexisted in perfect harmony.
And on the single sofa directly opposite them sat Sanji.
Ross propped his chin on one hand, his elbow resting casually on the marble tabletop.
Those eyes of his, as if able to see through everything, were sizing up his own son with interest, the corner of his mouth curved in something between a smile and not a smile.
Olvia sat quietly beside Ross, both hands cradling a white porcelain teacup. She took an elegant sip of black tea and merely watched the father and son with a normal gaze, not interrupting.
"Ha... haha... Shirahoshi didn't come with you?"
Sanji laughed dryly twice, his voice sounding a little strained in the quiet café.
Right now, he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
At some point, the back of his originally crisp suit had already been soaked through with cold sweat.
Simply sitting alone in front of Ross like this, that invisible pressure was almost enough to stop him from thinking.
This was not his first time speaking with Ross one-on-one. In fact, throughout his years growing up, this father of his had spent plenty of time with him.
He had personally taught him more times than Sanji could count.
Every time he faced him, Ross always showed this same gentle, refined, even loving side.
But precisely because